Hmmm. Our presentations have been first rate and well attended. However, it's a
lot of work and, to my knowledge, we haven't gotten a lot out of the effort
(contacts/recruits. I'm not sure.
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Marjorie Stamberg <marjoriestamberg@xxxxxxxxx>
To: cs_edworkers <cs_edworkers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Yari Rod <yarita.rod@xxxxxxxxx>;
Zachary Darr <zacharydarr89@xxxxxxxxx>; Tyler McMillen
<tmcmillen1917@xxxxxxxxx>; Mark Lance <treslances@xxxxxxx>; Charlie Brover
<cbrover@xxxxxxxxx>; S_ AN <s_an@xxxxxxx>; Phil <jannorden@xxxxxxx>; Kirstine
Jungkurth <kjungkurth@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sat, Nov 23, 2019 3:06 pm
Subject: [cs_edworkers] Operational: Do we want a workshop at NyCORE 2020?
Could all CSEWers and other involved comrades please weigh in on this ASAP.
The NyCORE conference is March 21st. and the deadline for proposals is December
16. Fresh from listening to Charlie's brilliant presentation on a Marxist
critique of Critical Race Theory, I am intrigued by the idea our doing a panel
to reach a wider audience of educators than just ourselves.
Charlie B and I have talked about this proposal and it MIGHT be workable if we
want to do it. Remember, we usually pack the house when we present at NyCORE.
Also remember, our (excellent) proposal got rejected in 2018, so it's not a
sure thing.
I am attaching the conference call which is social-justice-psycho-babble at its
worst, and the conference is entitled "Freedom Dreams" in which one is supposed
to have a dream about the ideal classroom, curriculum, society---gag me.
However, buried in the verbiage is the sentence:
"We invite proposals from educators in varied settings that focus on a diverse
range of topics. Relevant political critiques are welcomed, as are curricular
ideas, classroom strategies, theoretical frameworks that lead to praxis,
presentations on community work, and other ideas for inspiring practice. Some
possible workshop themes to consider are: critical race theory, gender and
sexuality in the classroom, spaces for organizing and convening with similar
justice-centered organizations,"
Our Marxist critique certainly goes against the mainstream liberal thought, but
there must be teachers out there who are uneasy about the pervasive ideology of
white skin privilege that dominates academia and now is mandated at the NYC
Department of Education. We Marxists are the people who fight racist oppression
in capitalist America, and we cannot allow our voice to be silenced in the face
of CRT defeatist ideology which turns teacher against teacher, and only serves
capitalism.
Charlie thinks we might get away with a panel format -- which could include
himself, Yari (who has written passionately on this topic) and, I'm thinking,
possibly Gordon, bringing in the CUNY academia side, possibly Guadalupe, who's
horribly over-burdened as a teaching fellow, but spoke at our study group about
how this ideology is affecting teachers of science.
On the negative side, our proposal for the 2018 conference was rejected. That
proposal was entitled "ICE--Hands Off Our Students," and began "Educators are
in the front-lines in the battle over education." Everything indicates we were
rejected for the simple reason that we are a Marxist tendency. The deciding
committee was (still is?) run by the insufferable Rosie Fascella, the secret
ISOer, and now even further to the "social justice" right.
The previous leadership group (Prof Bree Picower, Education Professor at
Montclair NJ State and a supporter of Mumia, and Edwin Mayorga, from CUNY Urban
Edu department, who weren't Marxists, but respected us and felt we had
something to say, have since gone on to other things....)
So there's a very good chance we would be rejected. However, it's possible we
could be accepted, and if so it could be an important event, especially since
we have the goods on CRT.
What do comrades think? If we want to do it, we have to start now pulling the
panel and proposal together.
M
